President Donald Trump is transferring special education oversight and civil rights enforcement out of the Education Department to the departments of Health and Human Services and Justice, respectively. The shifts represent the latest step in Trump's stated goal to eliminate the Education Department entirely.
Special education services, governed under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), would move to HHS under these proposed changes. Civil rights enforcement, which currently investigates discrimination complaints involving race, gender, disability, and other protected categories in schools, would transfer to the Justice Department.
These moves affect millions of students. Roughly 7.5 million students receive special education services under IDEA. Civil rights enforcement handles thousands of complaints annually from students and families alleging discrimination in school districts across the country.
Education advocates warn the transfers risk fragmenting services and enforcement. Special education expertise within the Education Department took decades to build. Moving IDEA oversight to HHS, which focuses primarily on health care, could disrupt coordination between special education services and related school supports. Civil rights complaints involving schools currently benefit from the Education Department's deep institutional knowledge of education law and practice.
The shifts follow Trump's appointment of Linda McMahon, a former wrestling executive with no background in education policy, as Education Secretary. Trump has consistently stated his intention to close the Education Department and shift its functions to other agencies or to states.
Education Department officials, teachers unions, and disability advocates have expressed concern about the proposed changes. They argue that consolidating education functions across multiple federal agencies could slow response times to complaints, reduce accountability, and create confusion for school districts navigating federal requirements.
The transfers require congressional approval. Congress has not yet voted on whether to approve the restructuring, though Republican control of both chambers suggests passage is likely. Implementation details remain unclear, including timelines and how existing Education Department staff would be affected.